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If your favorite part of makeover shows on HGTV is watching the faces of homeowners as they explore their redesigned living spaces, you’ll fall in love with the work of Oklahoma City interior designer Rose Clark, proprietor of Red Chateau in Casady Square.
“It’s all about the ‘Wow’ factor,” Rose says. It can be bright pops of color with interesting fabric and design on pillows against the neutral backdrop of a sofa or chairs. It can be removing heavy, dark damask drapes covering windows hiding a fabulous outdoor living space. Which becomes another focal point. It can be lightening the wall colors and replacing “Old World” style with neutral rugs and furniture. “Regardless of whether I’m working with traditional, contemporary or a balance between the two, I strive for interesting details that bring joy to my clients when they walk into their new rooms,” she says. In other words: the “Wow” factor.
Exuding creativity, knowledge and experience, Rose traded in two decades of owning her own national staffing company to begin her passion for interior design. “I was tired of traveling on business. After missing yet another flight home from Atlanta on a Friday in 2003, delaying my arrival home for the weekend until Saturday, I picked up an Oprah magazine and read, ‘What would you be doing if fear wasn’t holding you back?’ It was my ‘aha’ moment,” she says. That was 12 years ago. And she’s never looked back.
In their 37 years of marriage, Rose and her husband Richard have owned 15 homes, including two lake houses—the perfect scenario for the person with an affinity for design. And that means changing with the trends. At market three years ago, dark colors such as black, gold and red were gone as the industry completely changed. Everyone had come through the recession and the interior design business and furniture lines were looking for a fresh new approach. Fabrics became light and airy and cream-colored or white. More lighting was being used and ceilings were getting higher. Everything “heavy” was gone. And people finally began buying in. “It took a good six months,” Rose recalls. People wanted to see if the new trends had staying power, and this new style absolutely does.”
Rose updated her store to stay ahead of the curve and to show transitional styling would be the trend to follow. People began saying they loved the change and were so glad Rose did it. “They always loved the uniqueness of this store and often tell me they’ve been looking for a shopping experience like this for a long time,” she says. Customers come from Tulsa, Dallas and Kansas City for the buying experience.
The biggest question people ask is how to mix the transitional look into their home without the stress and expense of a complete makeover. “The answer is simple,” Rose says. “Edit, edit, your home.” Editing, in interior design terms, means getting rid of stuff, or as Rose calls it, Tchotchke’s: a term with Jewish origins and defined as a small bauble or miscellaneous item. “De-clutter. Strive for a lighter look,” Rose suggests. “Change your lamps. Add lighter bedding. Remove heavy, dark drapes. Minimalistic is IN. Subtlety makes all the difference in your home today.” Upon following that advice, a client told Rose she felt as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders and found her home to feel less suffocating.
When a customer recently called Rose to assess why her home had been on the market for 18 months without selling, Rose quickly identified the culprit. “It had so much stuff, you couldn’t see the beauty of the home,” she recalls. “We edited the entire home and the next person who looked at it, promptly bought it.”
While working with clients across the country in locations such as Scottsdale, Santa Fe, Los Colinas, Dallas and along the East Coast, Rose employs a talented staff in Oklahoma at the Red Chateau to serve customers, including decorators. “We attend various markets each year, including high point in search of unique and hard-to-find items.”
As Rose works with clients in their homes, occasionally they come by the Red Chateau to get her opinion on an idea they saw in a magazine or from a design website, such as Houzz. One of those clients said, “Rose is awesome! She has lots of good ideas and is easy to work with. She is very patient if I tell her I need time to get comfortable with some of her suggestions. If I’m not comfortable, she keeps working with me until we get it figured out.”
You don’t have to hunt for complements on this talented designer and store proprietor; they are in every job she does. And each customer who walks through this store is filled with so much eye candy, and of course, the “Wow” factor.
Written by Roxanne Avery | Photos by Emily Brashier
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